The Twitter History of the World (10 page)

@TheCIA
@Mujahideen Don’t even mention it. You’re very welcome.
8.44am, August 1, 1979

@Mujahideen
@TheCIA Homies forever?
8.54am, August 1, 1979

@TheCIA
@Mujahideen We’ll get back to you on that.
8.56am, August 1, 1979

In 1979, the CIA began to fund and support the Afghan Mujahideen rebels in their bid to get the Soviet army out of Afghanistan. One beneficiary of this funding and support was a young man called Osama Bin Laden.

@JohnLennon
Imagine all the people, living in harmony…
22.59pm, December 08, 1980

@MarkChapman
Yeah, imagine that…
23.01pm, December 08, 1980

@JohnLennon
We’re bigger than…JESUS!
23.01pm, December 08, 1980

@PaulMacca
Just heard the sad news about @JohnLennon. Talk about a hard day’s night! *Must remember to reverse song-writing credits*
5.02am, December 09, 1980

John Lennon was shot dead outside his New York apartment by gunman Mark Chapman in December 1980.

@LadyDi
@PrinceCharles Oh, Chazza, I totally <3 you!
11:20am, July 29, 1981

@PrinceCharles
Whatever <3 means.
11.21am, July 29, 1981

DM from @CamillaParkerBowles
@PrinceCharles Dinner?
11.22am, July 29, 1981

A crowd of 600,000 people lined the streets of London to cheer as Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer arrived at St Paul’s Cathedral to marry. As their marriage subsequently fell apart, Diana complained about Charles’s continued affections with Camilla Parker-Bowles. They divorced in August 1996.

@MichaelJackson
Yoo-hoo – what an eventful night I just had! Feeling drained but inspired. Headed to the studio to lay-down a new track.
08.01am, June 09, 1982

@MichaelJackson
Nailed the new song – it’s called P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing).
12.52pm, June 09, 1982

@Bubbles
@MichaelJackson Pretty young thing? Interesting title – what inspired that?
4.43pm, June 09, 1982

@MichaelJackson
@Bubbles *Blushes*
5.12pm, June 09, 1982

@MichaelJackson
@MacaulayCulkin I just watched your film –
Home Alone
. Three times in a row. You’re enchanting. Follow me back?
3.01am, November 16, 1990

@MacaulayCulkin
@MichaelJackson Sure – what’s the worst that can happen?
7.57am, November 16, 1990

@Bubbles
@MichaelJackson Oh, you’re bad…
8.11am, November 16, 1990

@MichaelJackson
@Bubbles (Really, Really Bad!)
8.12am, November 16, 1990

@MichaelJackson
By the way, has anyone seen my nose? I can’t remember when I last had it.
2.09am, June 12, 1994

During an eventful life, Michael Jackson sold many millions of records and played sell-out tours in huge stadiums. Allegations of child abuse, his ever-changing facial appearance and a host of eccentricities meant the King of Pop became better known as Wacko Jacko.

@RonaldReagan
My fellow Americans, I’m pleased to tell you that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.
10.01am, August 11, 1984

@WhiteHouseStaff
Just FYI, @KonstantinChernenko, the President was only joking.
10.02am, August 11, 1984

@KonstantinChernenko
@WhiteHouseStaff Very droll, I’m sure.
10.02am, August 11, 1984

DM from @TheIronLady
To @RonaldReagan: Well, who’s been a naughty boy, then?
10.03am, August 11, 1984

DM from @RonaldReagan
To @TheIronLady: Sorry, Ma’am, can you remind me who you are? Hello? Is that you Nancy?
11.31am, August 11, 1984

Ronald Reagan, President of the United States between 1981 and 1989, had a colourful career with public gaffes, an assassination attempt and a close relationship with Margaret Thatcher.

@MichaelBuerk
Millions of people are starving Ethiopia.
Somebody needs to do something about this.
9.01pm, October 23, 1984

@BobGeldof
@MichaelBuerk I’ll put on a fundraising rock concert. Hopefully the egos won’t take over. #LiveAid
9.10pm, October 23, 1984

@PhilCollins
I’m going to fly between at England and America so I can perform at both Live Aid gigs – it’s all about me!
3.39pm, July 13, 1985

@NoelEdmonds
Hang on, I’ll helicopter you to the airport – it’s all about me!
3.40pm, July 13, 1985

@FreddieMercury
@PhilCollins @NoelEdmonds Erm, hello? I think you’ll find it’s all about meeeee!
7.03pm, July 13, 1985

@BobGeldof
No, it’s about the people dying *now*. Don’t go to the pub, stay in and give us your money. FUCK THE ADDRESS!
7.45pm, July 13, 1985

After Michael Buerk’s shocking BBC news report about the Ethiopian famine, rock star Bob Geldof organised dual fundraising concerts in London and New York. A global audience of 1.9 billion people tuned in, and around £50million was raised for famine relief.

@ChernobylWorker
Bad day at the office today. Long story short: one the nuclear reactors blew-up. Far from ideal.
1.24am, April 16, 1986

@Pravda
@ChernobylWorker Ve have vays of making you delete your Tweets…
1.25am, April 16, 1986

@ChernobylWorker
*Gulp*
1.26am, April 16, 1986

@SwedishGovernment
@SovietUnion Erm, dudes, has some shit
happened? We’re getting, like, radioactive fallout from over your way.
8.17am, April 18, 1986

@SovietUnion
Nope, nothing to see here. @Gorbachev just had a bit of a dodgy curry…
8.17am, April 18, 1986

@ThePentagon
@SovietUnion Don’t you think you should warn people about this ‘nuclear vindaloo’?
10.12am, April 19, 1986

@SovietUnion
@ThePentagon No, there are weddings & parades coming up – we don’t want to put a dampener on them. Calm down, dear, it’s only a reactor!
10.13am, April 18, 1986

Following an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in 1986, radiation hundreds of times greater than the fallout from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs was sent into the atmosphere. As the radiation spread, Soviet authorities were very slow to admit what had happened. Meanwhile, residents of nearby neighbourhoods
held open-air weddings and May Day parades, unaware of the radiation in the air. Estimates of how many ultimately died as a result of the disaster vary, with some running into the hundreds of thousands.

@Madonna
True, a lot of my videos are on the steamy side but I make no apology for making the most of it while I’m young.
10.12am, July 25, 1987

@Madonna
I mean – it would be a bit sad if I was still behaving like this when I hit my 50s!
10.13am, July 25, 1987

Madonna’s raunchy pop videos provoked simultaneous outrage and delight throughout the 1980s. She hasn’t let it lie since.